Russell Hoban 
The Lion of Boaz-Jachin and Jachin-Boaz 

”A piece of invention as original as any of Tolkien”s or C.S. Lewis”s” New Statesman

”I have gone to look for a lion.” In a world where lions have become extinct, the map-maker Jachin-Boaz nevertheless abandons his wife and son to find one, leaving just this note. But his decision has unexpected consequences. He will be pursued by his son, Boaz-Jachin, and by something else: a tawny-skinned, amber-eyed beast from another place and time, a bringer of life and death.
”Magic at work … Funny as well as beautiful” Irish Times
”Hoban is unclassifiable, thank goodness. His narrative is so minutely and compellingly realistic that after a time you cease to notice that he has stood reality on its head” Sunday Times